A truly postbiotic product containing only postbiotics, which consumers have been eagerly awaiting in their interest in a healthy life, is about to be released in pharmacies.Based on a SCI-level paper by bereum Co., Ltd., formerly known as BeRM, a pharmacist academic symposium was held at Baropharm
The Bank of Korea announced on April 7 that South Korea’s current account deficit was US$520 million in February this year. In January, the deficit was US$4.21 billion, the largest since records began in 1980. In February, the first two-month current account deficit was recorded in 11 years.That mon
The United States is putting more pressure on companies in the EV battery industry to rely less on China. Most South Korean companies in the industry are regarding the pressure as both a challenge and an opportunity.This is because they have diversified their material supply sources for years. For i
Tesla’s aggressive price cuts are making Hyundai Motor Group grapple more in increasing its sales in the U.S. electric car market. The company is faced with the prospect of losing U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) subsidies while its competitors seem to be gaining momentum.On April 9, Tesla cut its
Amid rising oil prices, the supply burden from China (in play since Sep 2022) is now easing. Moving ahead, demand for fuel oil for transportation is expected to improve, and refining margins should remain solid.Expect solid refining margins, centering on transportation fuels such as gasoline and jet
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at yk.choi@nhqv.com -- Ed.We raise our TP on LG Chem from W900,000 to W1,000,000, upwardly revising our operating value estimate for LGES now that it reflects earnings for Advanced Material Production Credit (AMPC). Also bodin
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at yk.choi@nhqv.com -- Ed.We expect SK Innovation to report disappointing earnings for 1Q23. However, with both utilization rate and production yield improving at SK On, once again, we look forward to profitability improvement
Technology exports from the domestic pharmaceutical and biotech sector totaled eight cases in the first quarter of this year. The scale of the five open contracts is 2.169 trillion won (US$1.643 billion). In the first quarter of last year, the figures were six and 2.174 trillion won (US$1.647 billio
Porsche sold 2,966 cars in South Korea in the first quarter of this year, the largest Q1 sales volume since the launch of Porsche Korea in 2014. In February, the sales volume was 1,123, fifth behind those of BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Lexus. Porsche Korea’s sales volume has more than quadrupled i
The New York Times reported on April 8 that the CIA may have wiretapped the South Korean government related to arms support for Ukraine.According to the report, the U.S. government examined the possibility of supplying shells to Ukraine via South Korea. The South Korean government’s stance is that i
Samsung Electronics announced on April 7 that its first quarter operating profit plunged about 96 percent year over year. It was the first earnings shock in 14 years since 2009. The company changed its stance of making no artificial production cuts as its operating profit in the first quarter (Janua
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visited Hanwha Solutions’ plant in Georgia, which has become a symbol of the economic cooperation between the United States and Korea in the energy sector.On June 6 (local time), Vice President Harris toured Hanwha’s solar module plant in Dalton, Georgia and a nearb
Shinhan Bank announced on April 6 that its Cambodian subsidiary, Shinhan Cambodia Bank, was named Most Innovative Digital Bank in Cambodia at the GBO Awards 2022 organized by Global Business Outlook.Being honored as Most Innovative Digital Bank is significant for Shinhan Cambodia Bank as it has beco
The author is an analyst of Shinhan Securities. She can be reached at hpark@shinhan.com -- Ed.Demand for MLB brand on a fast recovery in ChinaF&F is expected to have recorded consolidated sales of KRW499.4bn (+14% YoY) and operating profit of KRW149.8bn (+11% YoY) in 1Q23, picking up pace of growth
The author is an analyst of Shinhan Securities. She can be reached at hpark@shinhan.com -- Ed.1Q23 results to disappoint due to weak duty-free earningsWe now expect LG H&H to post consolidated operating profit of KRW156.1bn (-11% YoY) on sales of KRW1.61tr (-2% YoY) for 1Q23, missing market consensu
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at jiyoony@nhqv.com -- Ed.Shinsegae International’s 1Q23 earnings are likely to fall far short of consensus due to the exit of major imported fashion brands. Although a slide in annual earnings at the imported fashion busines
The author is an analyst of Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at keonhyeong.ha@shinhan.com -- Ed.Causes of recurring liquidity crises since the COVID-19 outbreakPolicy responses to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) have helped to calm market fears. The SVB crisis, which came close to tri
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jooyh@nhqv.com -- Ed.We raise our TP on Orion to W170,000. With its high competitiveness confirmed both on the domestic front and in major overseas markets, the firm’s profitability is primed to start strengthening towards
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jooyh@nhqv.com -- Ed.We lower our TP on CJCJ to W460,000. But, viewing concerns towards likely sluggish 1H23 earnings as already being baked into the firm’s current share price, we stick to a Buy rating.Lower TP to W460,000
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at hwdoh@nhqv.com -- Ed.During its 1Q23 earnings release, SEC announced that it intends to cut memory output considerably, which will positively impact supply-demand conditions. We expect earnings to begin to rebound in earnes